Kaitlin Lee wins 4th MACJC weekly award

PERKINSTON – Mississippi Gulf Coast's Kaitlin Lee has won her fourth MACJC Pitcher of the Week Award of the season.

The right-hander from Harrison Central signed with Ole Miss in the fall, but she's not been resting on any laurels.

"We spoke to her last fall after all this happened and we told her it was going to be hard to come back and put together the kind of season she's putting together," Gulf Coast coach Kenneth Long said. "That tells me a whole lot about her. She's doing awesome. She's doing extra. She's working hard, and she's a great teammate. We appreciate everything she's done for our program."

Lee allowed a single run in 12 innings of work, going 2-0 for the No. 2 Lady Bulldogs last week. She shut out No. 5 Jones 4-0, scattering six hits while striking out five.

She struck out another five in five innings during a 9-1 win over Meridian, allowing five hits.

Lee is 13-1 with two saves and a 0.48 ERA. Her ERA is third best in NJCAA Division II among pitchers with 30 or more innings of work, with her wins tying for fifth best.

Lee is now nominated for the weekly national award, which she has already won twice. Teammate Nora Keehn has won the NJCAA award once, as well as two MACJC honors this season.

The Lady Bulldogs have won six of eight state pitching honors this year.

Gulf Coast (27-3, 10-3 MACJC) returns to action Wednesday when Southwest visits Ross-Smith Field in Perkinston. The doubleheader will start at 2 p.m., an hour earlier than scheduled to beat anticipated bad weather.

Southwest (17-13, 10-6) is a much improved team over last year.

"They swept a couple teams they haven't swept in the past," Long said. "I think they're going to be much better."

For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCAthletics on Twitter and BulldogLIVE on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.